England World Cup referees face 72-hour wait to discover if FIFA will ban them from final
Football fans across England will be hoping that the Three Lions can conquer Norway on Saturday night, but it might not be good news for every Englishman.
The World Cup has provided plenty of drama this summer both on and off the pitch, with Donald Trump getting involved more than many would have expected, as his phone call to Gianni Infantino seemingly played a big part in overturning Folarin Balogun's suspension for the US. Not that it really helped them.
The president's travel ban also meant that a Somalia-born referee was denied entry for the World Cup, although given the backlash to some of the refereeing decisions in recent games, perhaps he dodged a bullet.
We're getting to the point in the tournament now where fans are analysing exactly where the refereeing teams are from to ensure that there's no bias, with many surprised to see an officiating team made up entirely of Argentinians in charge for France's game against Morocco tonight.
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And in similar circumstances, should England and Argentina both win their games against Norway and Switzerland respectively, then it's almost guaranteed that we won't see any of our Premier League refereeing representatives in the World Cup final.
Naturally, there could never be an Englishman taking charge of an England game, but the obvious history with Argentina is also seemingly enough to ensure that neither Michael Oliver nor Anthony Taylor would feature.
However, Oliver, along with assistant referees Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, will oversee the last-eight tie between Belgium and Spain in Los Angeles on Friday, so he might still have an influence on England's potential opponents should Thomas Tuchel's side make the final.
Oliver is a very well-respected referee and would have been one of the favourites to make the final, but will miss out should his birth country or Argentina make it.
BBC journalist Dale Johnson explained on X: "At the 2022 World Cup, Anthony Taylor was one of the last referees standing and had a chance of the final.
"But when Argentina got to the final he was no longer considered due to past political situations between England, Argentina and the Falklands."
Taylor was just three during the Falklands War was going on while Oliver wasn't even born, and in an era where referees are hard-wired to be neutral, this decision from FIFA feels a little outdated.
Still, as much as Premier League fans probably love Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor, I think we'd all rather see England play in the final than them officiate it, even if it means inevitably losing to France or Spain again.
World Cup 2026 fixture schedule and UK kick off times
Thursday, 9 July
Quarter-final - Match 97: France vs Morocco, kick-off 9pm - Foxborough, US
Friday, 10 July
Quarter-final - Match 98: Match 93 winners vs Match 94 winners, kick-off 8pm - Los Angeles, US
Saturday, 11 July
Quarter-final - Match 99: Norway vs England, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US
Sunday, 12 July
Quarter-final - Match 100: Match 95 winners vs Match 96 winners, kick-off 2am - Kansas City, US
Tuesday, 14 July
Semi-final - Match 101: Match 97 winners vs Match 98 winners, kick-off 8pm - Arlington, US
Wednesday, 15 July
Semi-final - Match 102: Match 99 winners vs Match 100 winners, kick-off 8pm - Atlanta, US
Saturday, 18 July
Third Place Playoff - Match 103: Match 101 losers vs Match 102 losers, kick-off 10pm - Miami, US
Sunday, 19 July
Final - Match 104: Match 101 winners vs Match 102 winners, kick-off 8pm - New Jersey, US
Topics: World Cup, Premier League
James Moorhouse